Sheet combining device



Dec. 21, 1965 R. M. M. OBERMAN ETAL 3,224,578

SHEET COMBINING DEVICE Filed March 20, 1963 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 HOLDERS TAKING OFF DEVICES AND READERS nmmmunm READER STORING DEVICES\{ 26 COMBINING DEVICES Tkouensj nown: L--

| /5 TAKING OFF v "fl f'i DEVICE n" 2/ VACUUM T0 STORAGE INVENTORS:

E v n l7 H.MM. UBZRMAN, LX175 TEN,

ATTY.

Dec. 21, 1965 Filed March 20, 1963 my a R. M. M. OBERMAN ET AL 3,224,578

SHEET COMBINING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 DISTRIBUT RS.

ms. 5 a e mag VIILVE VALVE m5: //3

CONTROL new/ m VALVE D IRD 'ficl CENTRAL /03 3 04 MEMORY CIRCUITS (FIG.4).

I "I /22a. )AI /23 I I DETEtToRI l I 124 I NUMERATOR LL25 s5 VALVE m3 //6 W2 CONTEoL DEVICES/4 7 A20 /2/ I} I wuvs VALVE w CONTROL DEVICE fE-E- VALVE INVENTORS 1 RMM. UBEJZMAN', L K'u STEN.

BY AJI/I INE TN.

Dec. 21, 1965 QBERMAN ET AL 3,224,578

SHEET COMBINING DEVICE 5 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed March 20, 1963 -fi E .Efiw fi I I I I I I I I I I l l l- @QQQQQQQ? :1 mil :1 "I? 31 3?. El v 1 1i 9*; u Q fig mi mi m Tm; $2 2 v 5 m; Fm; MA; MA; IT. 0 E g mi mi N m 5 w 3 hi H pl mi; FT. m T m n 7 H.T TI o v m P o m w m a Q 335 3 3 INVENTORS: JlMMflBERMAN, L. K: s TEN. BY 2-1.]. YANDER 001m.

3,224,573 SHEET tCiE-lt iiiiiNiNG BEVICE Roeioi Ml. Gherrnan, Voorhurg, and .iueendert Kristen and anus Johannes van der Toorn, The Hague,

h letheriands, assignors to N. V. Eicctrologica, Amsterdam, Netheriands idiied lviar. 2d, 1963, Ser. No. 256,590 3 Ciaims. (Cl. 209 -72} This invention relates to a device for combining sheets having numerical data thereon from several piles of sequentially ordered sheets into a single pile of sequentially ordered sheets. More particularly, this invention comprises a combining, associating and collating device for two or more piles of sequentially and sometimes equally numbered and/or coded sheets, forms, or cards into one pile of sequentially numbered or coded sheets, forms or cards. The separate piles to be combined may each be incomplete but each pile must comprise the same numerical groups, such as for example, the gathering of all of the numbered forms or cards relating to the same account in a bank or store and placing all account forms or cards in a numerical sequence for easy reference and/or distribution.

This also is a continuation-in-part of applicants copending United States patent application Serial No. 790,733 filed February 2, 1959, now abandoned.

Similar devices have been known for a long time for the so called inter-classification of two groups of punched cards. These machines have not yet been made for paper forms or for more than two groups of cards or forms.

Accordingly it is an object of this invention to overcome these insutficiencies by providing a machine which may select and collate sheets as well as cards, and a machine which may collate from more than two groups of such sheets or cards.

Another object of this invention is to provide a machine for temporarily retaining a card or form after the card or form has been selected from a pile and carried into the machine and read, and it appears that the data concerned on the card has not yet come in for its turn to be taken up into the flow of combined data.

Another object of this invention is to provide such a machine which moves the cards, forms or sheets from various piles that have to be combined along paths of substantially the same length to the final combining pile, so that the machine may be easily controlled according to a regular time distribution.

Generally speaking, the device for combining sheets or" this invention comprises separate holders for each pile of sheets which are to be combined, separate rotating drum means associated with each holder for taking one sheet at a time from each of said piles, a reading device associated with each of said drum means for reading the numerical data from the sheet taken ofl of the pile, and then a second rotating drum storage device associated with the rotating drum taking-off device for storing the sheet from which the data has been read until a central control mechanism or system indicates that that particular sheet is the next sheet in order to be passed on into the final pile. The rotating drum taking-off and storing deices may contain radial ducts from a central valve or sectored shaft to which vacuum or a differential pressure is applied under control of an electro-magnetically controlled valve controlled by the central control system. Associated with each pair of storage devices there is provided a rotating drum combining device having similar radial ducts and valves also controlled by the central control system. Each pair of these combining devices are then associated with another pair and second combining device of similar construction, and pairs of the second combining devices are associated with third combining 3,224,578 Patented Dec. 21, 1965 devices, and so on, until a single centrally located final combining device discharges the sheets into the final pile or trough.

As soon as the central control system or circuits indicates that one of the sheets on one of the storing devices is the next sheet to be transferred, the combining devices associated therewith are sequentially and immediately operated to transfer that sheet directly around their arcua'te peripheries from the first combining device to the last, until that particular sheet is discharged into the final trough. The peripheral speed of each of the rotating drum combining devices as well as that of each take-off device and each storing device is the same; and the arcuate distance between any pile adjacent the taking-off device and the final trough adjacent the final combining device, around the associated intermediate rotating drums, is also the same, so that the system can be easily synchronized.

The central control circuits or system for these rotating cylindrical drums and reading devices may comprise a central memory system in which each number read by the reading devices is stored, such as in banks of bistable trigger circuits. The information in these memory circuits is then passed through or and and selector circuits to a numerator connected to a detector and controlled by synchronized counter pulses from a time clock. The numerator automatically selects the next number in the sequence which has been recorded in the memory circuits and energizes the electromagnetic control valves of the corresponding rotating drums for releasing the sheet from the particular selected storing device and conveying it as the next sequence sheet to the final trough of combined sheets. The detector comprises additional and and or" circuits and rectifiers controlled by the numerator and counters controlled by the time clock. As soon as a particular sheet has been selected and transferred, the memory circuits for that particular sheet are re-set and the next sheet from the pile is removed by the associated taking-off device, passed by the reader, and its number is stored in the central memory to be ready for the next numerical selection by the machine. The detector also is connected to distributors which select the numbers stored in the memory and control the operating circuits for the electro-magnetic vacuum control valves of the taking-off, storing and combining devices or rotating drums.

The above mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be understood best by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the mechanical parts of a machine for combining four separate piles of cards or sheets into a single pile according to one embodiment of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged schematic cross-sectional view of the first card holder, taking-off device and storing device shown in FIG. 1 showing one embodiment of the axial sector valve and ducts which may be used in a rotating drum;

FIG. 3 is a schematic block wiring diagram of a central control circuit or system for the machine shown in FIG. 1;

PKG. 4 is a schematic wiring diagram of the central memory circuits shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a schematic wiring diagram of the selector part of the detector and distributor circuits associated with the memory circuits of FIG. 4 which connect them to the numerator of FIG. 6; and

FlG. 6 is a schematic wiring diagram of the numerator, time impulse counters, and associated detector and distributor circuits which connect to the control circuits for 3 the electro-magnetic control valves shown in the lower half of FIG. 3.

The following detailed description of the above mentioned figures will now be made according to the following outline:

(A) APPARATUS (FIGS. 1 AND 2) (1) Holders (2) Take-off, reading and storing devices (3) Combining devices (4) Troughs (5) Equal paths (B) CONTROL CIRCUITS (FIGS. 3 THROUGH 6) (1) Central memory circuits, (FIG. 4)

(2) Counters and selector, (FIGS. 5 and 6) (3) Numerator, detector and controlling devices, (FIG. 6) (4) Detection of a wrongly ordered sheet, FIG. 6)

(C) SPECIFIC EXAMPLE OF OPERATION (A) Apparatus (FIGS. 1 and 2) (l) Holders-Referring now to FIGS. 1 and 2 there is shown across the top thereof a group of holders 11, 12, 13 and 14 containing a plurality of sheets or cards C which preferably are in a sequential order according to the numbers or symbols located thereon which are to be read by the reading device of the machine of this invention. Although only four holders are shown in the embodiment described, any number of holders may be provided, usually an even number. If a lesser number of piles of sheets or cards are to be collated by the machine, only that number of holders are used and the remaining ones are left empty. The cards C are herein shown to be removed one at a time from one end of the pile, namely the bottom of the stack through an opening at a lower left corner of each holder. These cards may be thin or even paper sheets, and are removed by an associated rotating drum, roller, or dirigible take-off devices 15, 16, 17 or 18, beneath and adjacent the open corner of each holder 11, 12, 13 and 14, respectively.

(A-2) Take-01f), reading and storing devices.-Referring specifically to FIG. 2 there is shown schematically in transverse cross-section a type of cylindrical drum take-off device which may be employed in this invention. This device may comprise a pair of radial ducts 20 angularly spaced so that the peripheral distance between their outer ends corresponds to a distance within the edges of the sheet C that is to be taken off. Additional radial channels 20 may be provided in the rotating drum 15 if desired or required for holding the card or sheet C on the surface of the drum during transport by the drum.

The roller 15 may be provided with a hollow central chamber 19 containing a stationary sector valve 21, so that as the roller 15 rotates the ducts 20 are correspondingly Opened and closed to apply a vacuum or reduced air pressure to suck the first corner of the lower sheet from the holder 11 in a direction of the arrows (counterclockwise shown in FIG. 2) until the vacuum in the second radial duct 20 is applied to the trailing edge of the card C to retain it securely on the peripheral surface of the roller 15 as it is moved past the reader 109. The air to the hollow center of the drum 15 is also controlled by a solenoid valve 105 in the supply duct thereto, which solenoid 105 is controlled by the central control mechanism circuits or system of FIGS. 3 through 6 described later. The central hollow shaft 21 of the rotating drums may be provided also, or instead of the sector valve 21, with an axially movable valve for controlling ducts 20, which axial rrovable valve may be controlled at the end of the shaft by a solenoid under the control of the central control circuits.

The readers 109, 110, 111, and 112 automatically read the symbols or numbers on the cards or sheets C by electronic, photo-electric, magnetic, or other means corresponding to the type of numbers, symbols, dots or holes which are printed thereon, which information is passed to the memory circuits shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 and described later.

The card C is then passed on past the vertical center line of the roller 15 by an angular distance a to the tangent peripheral edge of the storing device roller 23, which is half the diameter of the roller 15. This storage roller 23 may also be provided with radial ducts similar to ducts 20 connected to a central axial hollow shaft 19 to which also may be connected a vacuum duct controlled by electro-magnetic valve 113. The air to the ducts 20 of the storage devices 23, 24, 25 and 26, where a card may remain for many complete revolutions thereof awaiting its turn for transfer to the final trough 32, may be controlled only by the valve 113 in the suction or air duct to the hollow shaft 19 thereof.

(A3) Combining devices.-Referring again to FIG. 1, the third or lower horizontal row of rotating drums or cylinders comprises combining devices which contain axial or sector valves 21 and radial ducts 20 as shown in FIG. 2, but operative at different angles to correspond with the adjacent storing devices with which they cooperate and the second following, and final combining devices to which they transfer the card to be discharged into trough 32 shown below the central or middle and last combining device or roller 29. These combining devices 27, 28, 29, 30, and 31 comprise three rotating rollers 27, 29 and 31 of the same diameter as the take-off devices 15, 16, 17 and 18, and two transfer combining devices 28, and 30 of half this diameter, corresponding to the diameter of the storage devices 23, 24, 25 and 26.

Once a card has been selected by the central control circuits for transfer from its corresponding storage device through the combining devices, the valve to that particular storage device 23 is closed and in synchronism with the operation of the solenoid 117 in the duct to radial duct in its adjacent first combining device to pick up the card and carry it through the angle 7 to the next combining or transferring device 28 which immediately picks up the card and carries it or 1r radians to the final combining device 29, which picks it up and discharges it after passing it through the angle ,8 as shown in FIG. 1 and discharging the card into the final trough 32. The operation of the solenoid 118 in FIG. 3 controls the vacuum to the combining device 28, of solenoid 119 for the final combining device 29.

Accordingly, for n number of piles there are provided an equal number n of take-off devices and equal number n of storage devices. Then there are provided n'/2 first combining devices and n"/2 second combining devices and so on, so that n is the smallest whole number equal to or greater than n/2, and n" is the smallest whole number equal to or greater than n'/2 and so on.

Thus, in the event there are no cards or forms C for one of the four piles in the holders 11, 12, 13 and 14 as shown in FIG. 1, or there are only three piles, that is, an odd number of piles to be collated, then the number of combining devices required for collating the cards from an uneven number of piles corresponds to the next full whole number of half of the number of piles to be combined in each collating or combining step. Thus for example, for three piles there would only need to be three taking-off devices and three readers and three storage devices for them, there still would be required two combining devices 27 and 31 as shown in FIG. 1, as well as one second stage combining device 29 between the two devices 27 and 31.

(A-4) Trouglzs.-Below the central and final take-off combining device or roller or drum 29 there is provided a collecting trough 32 into which the cards C from each of the holders 11, 12, 13 and 14 are combined in sequential order.

There are also provided below the first combining devices 27 and 31, additional troughs 33 and 34 into which cards C which are out of numerical order in piles 11 or 12 and 13 or 14, respectively, are discharged under the control of the central control circuit, so as to prevent these erroneously ordered cards from being placed into the final pile in trough 32. The only time an erroneous card from one of the piles would be discharged into the trough 33 or 34 would be when its number has been passed in the sequence of a card or cards already passed to the final trough 32. Under such conditions the central control device will operate the solenoid valves H3 or 12.1 prior to the control valves for transfer to the transfer combining device or 38' so as to deposit the erroneously sequenced cards C in the trough 353 or 34, respectively.

Accordingly any errors or improperly located cards in the sequence of the piles 11 through M will not produce an error in the proper sequence of cards in the final trough 32, and cause a failure in the operation of the combining and collating machine of this invention.

(A-5) Equal paths-Referring again to the schematic diagram of FIG. 1, the path P of a card C from the holder ll to the final trough 32 is shown around the take-off device l5, storing device 23, and combining devices 27, 23 and 29, is equal in length and correspondingly in time to that of the path from any one of the other holders 12, 13 and T4 to the trough 32.

If the angle between the lines that connect the centers of the cylindrical rollers or drums of the taking-off devices l5, l6, l7 and ill through storing devices 23, 24', 25 and 26, to the first combining devices 27 and 311, and the vertical is then a sheet from the taking-off devices 15" and 17 passes through a path of w-l-a radians, while a sheet from the taking-off devices 16 and 18 passes through a path of 7rct radians. The paths for passing through the storing devices are the same for all flows of sheets namely (2ill)7r. If the second and final combining devices are placed between the rollers 27 and 31 of the first combining devices in such a way that the center lines of the rollers 27, 2d and 3t? and 31 are in one horizontal line, a symmetrical arrangement is provided. Then the arcuate path for the sheet from the holder ll through roller 2'7 measured from storing device 23 to the taking over roller is equal to 3/2wct radians. Correspondingly, the path of a sheet from the holder 12 through the roller 27 is X which equals 3/27T-I-0L radians. Similarly, the path of a sheet from the holder l3 through roller is or w/2a, and that of a sheet from the holder 14 through the roller 31 is 'T or 'IF/Z-I-OL radians. The intermediate rollers 23 Eli are of no importance in the problem of comparing the paths, in that they are equal and have equal paths of 7r radians for all sheets. Th final roller 2% moves the sheets over a path ,6 or n+6 depending upon whetl er they are received from roller or respectively.

Thus, the various summations of the paths of sheets or cards measured from each of the holders ll, l2, l3 and M are respectively, as follows:

(the path from holder 24 to trough 32) The rollers or drums of the taking-off devices and the larger r llers 27, 2) and 31, etc., of the combining devices, should have the same diameter, because when the path of one roller is too short for a certain llow the shortage is made up on the next roller of the same diameter which follows in the direction of flow.

Thus it can be seen that the paths from each of the holders 11 through 14. to the central discharge trough 32 are equal in distance as well as time since the system is synchronized and all the peripheral speeds of the rollers are maintained the same.

5 (B) CONTROL CIRCUITS (FTGS. 3 THROUGH 6) Referring now to PEG. 3 there is shown a schematic diagram of the central control system or circuits for the machine shown in FIG. 1. This diagram discloses across the top, the separate reading devices 1W, lllti, ill. and 112 which are adjacent the left side of each of the takingolf rollers l5, l6, l7 and 18, respectively, in FiG. l, which reading devices, as stated above, may be of any conventional type. The impulses from these reading devices, say for example reading two or more digits successively or simultaneously, are passed to central memory circuits ltll, W2, 10? and ltl lfor each of the reading devices M9, 110, ill and 112, respectively, which circuits are shown in more detail in FlG. 4 to be described below. Connected to each of these four central memory devices, through a distributor 122a, are a detector and numerator controlled by a timer 125 and counting circuit 133, which are shown in more detail with the distributors E2211, 1.2% and 122a in FlGS. 5 and 6 to be described in detail later. These later distributors connect the control circuits 126, 127, 129, 13%, Trial and 132 that operate the solenoid valves Til-5 through 121 as mentioned above, for controlling the vacuum or air to the rotating cylinders or drums in the proper sequence for the passage and discharge of the sheets or cards through the mechanism shown in FIG. 1. The distributors T22 schematically shown as arcs in FIG. 2 successively select and transfer information from the memory circuits ml, 102, Trill: and 104 to and from the control circuits in FIGS. 5 and 6 to the solenoid valve control devices shown in the lower part of FIG. 3.

(BJ) Central memory (FIG. 4).Referring now to the central memory circuits in FIG. 4, there are shown ten individual reading devices RD for each of ten symbols or numbers 0 through 9 which may appear in each of the four rows of a four digit decimal number on each of the cards C to be collated. For each of the digits 0 through 9 inclusive in each row there is provided a bi-stahle trigger circuit, so that each memory circuit lttll, MP3, 1.03 and contains four horizontal rows of ten triggers. These forty triggers in the memories m2, m3, 104, however, are not shown in detail as in memory circuit 161 in order to conserve space, but their function and operation is the same as that for circuit till. The reference characiers assigned to each trigger comprise three hyphenated numbers; the first number corresponding to the first pile or holder ll herein being 1; the next number referring to the digit location of first, second, third or fourth, being 1, 2, 3, or for each of the four horizontal rows of triggers, and the third number corresponding to the digit itself, i.e. 0 through 9. Thus the first trigger in the upper left corner of FIG. 4 has the reference character of ll0, the next being lll, the third ll2, the fourth ll3, and so on. in the boxes of FIG. 4 referring to the memories Hi2, M3 and 1%, only the output conductors from each of the forty triggers are shown. Thus each of these oi-stable trigger circuits are connected to a reader RD which corresponds with the particular number which is to he recorded in its corresponding bi-stable trigger circuit, and the outputs of each of these circuits are connected to their correspondingly numbered input terminals of the and gates shown in the selector circuit of FIG. 5. The lower half of each of the bi-stahle trigger circuis in each memory Till, 102, M33, and 2% are correspondingly connected to a reset number #1, an impulse in which resets all of the triggers in its circuit after the card which has been read from that memory has been selected by the numerator and detector control circuits Z 123 (see FIG. 6) to be transferred from its storing device 23 through 26 in this particular instance to the final trough. As soon as a memory circuit has been re-set, the next card is taken off by its corresponding taking-off device, read, and its number then is stored in the same memory circuit.

Since any one four digit number only contains four separate numerals, only one bi-stable trigger circuit is operated in each row 1, 2, 3 or 4. For example, the card number 1470 has been chosen, so that in the circuit shown in FIG. 4 only trigger circuits 111, 1-2-4, 1-3-7, and 1-4-0 are energized by their corresponding readers RD and only the outputs of these triggers have been shown with a downwardly pointing arrow for easy reference. These triggers in memoly circuit 101 remain energized as long as the card corresponding to them is held in the storing device 23.

(B-2) Counters and selectors (FIGS. 5 and 6).Referring now to FIGS. 5 and 6, there is shown at the bottom of FIG. 6 a counting circuit CTRI operated and controlled by clock 125, which also synchronizes the rotation of the drums in FIG. 1. This counter CTRI counts out sixteen consecutive impulses on separate conductors numbered 1 ct through 16 ct inclusive, comprising four groups of four for each row of trigger circuits in the central memory for each digit of each of the four digits on each card, and for each of the four piles of cards to be collated. This counter CTRI starts after the storage of the information in the triggers of the central memory shown in FIG. 4, and re-set signal conductors #1, #2, #3, #4 RESET to FIG. 4 have disappeared from the counter circuit CTR2 near the top of FIG. 6. Counter CTR2 is connected through conductor 141 to control counter CTR3 which is connected through conductor 142 to start counter CTR1. The counters CTR2 and CTR3 in turn are controlled by every fourth impulse from counter CTRl, namely, impulses 1 ct, 5 ct, 9 ct, and 13 ct via gate 151 so there is a continuous cycle of rotation of all three of these counters.

These impulses in groups of four are connected to the four parallel conductors (at the left and bottom of FIG. 5 of the selector circuit) to corresponding and gates with the outputs from the trigger circuits of FIG. 4. Thus, impulse 1 ct connects through conductors 143, 144 and 145 to the and gate connected also to trigger output conductor l-l-l of the first digit of the first card in storing device 109. This combination causes an impulse to be passed through the or" gate S1-1 via conductor 146, the output of which or gate S1-1 connects with the correspondingly identified input conductor 81-1 of the numerator S1 in FIG. 6; this first numerator S1 being the only one being shown in detail in order to simplify the lines in the diagram of FIG. 6. These and and or gates or logic circuits here or elsewhere in the control system of this invention may comprise diodes, ferrite rings, transistors, electron tubes, tunnel diodes, parametrons, kyrotrons, or the like without departing from the scope of this invention.

Each of the other selector circuits are shown schematically by numbers only in FIG. 5, and are correspondingly connected to the input terminals of the numerators S2, S3, and S4, for each of the other three digits of the card numbers.

The second digit 4 of the card number 1470 will go through the second selector circuits S2-4 shown only schematically in FIG. 5 and connect with the numerator S2 input contact S2-4 in FIG. 6; while the third digit 7 will be connected to the numerator S3 input contact S4- 7; and the fourth digit will be connected to the 84-0 contact of the numerator S4. The energized output terminals of the or circuits in the selector of FIGS, according to the specific example, are shown with an arrow thereon to distinguish from the other output circuits which are not now conductive.

Thus, the four digits of the numbers on each of the cards are consecutively transferred to the numerators of FIG. 6 under the control of the counter CTRl. If fewer or additional digit numbers are used, of course fewer or additional memory circuits, selector circuits, and numerators are correspondingly required.

(B-3) Numerator, detector, and controlling devices (FIGS. 6 and 3).The outputs of the or gating circuits shown in FIG. for the selected card number 1470 are thus connected to the ten contacts of each of the S1, S2, S3 and S4 in FIG. 6 with their double wiper step switches. The sheet number in the memory circuits is thus compared with the settings of the finder step switches in the numerators. Since there may of course occur a card in more than one pile which has the same number 1470, it is herein assumed that such has occurred and the numerator step switches are already set to this number 1470 from the just prior selected card. With this the case, the following operations occur in the circuits of FIG. 6.

As the counting pulses 1 ct, 2 ct, 3 ct and 4 ct are successfully applied to conductors 143 and 144 in FIG. 5 of the selector circuits, each completes a circuit through the contacts of each of the four numerator step switches in the positions shown in FIG. 6. Specifically, the first impulse ct 1 passes through conductors 143, 144 and 145, and gate 1l1, conductor 146, or gate 51-1 in FIG. 5, to terminals 1 of the two step switches in numerator S1 in FIG. 6, wiper of the left-hand step switch, conductor A1 to the and gate 501 together with another conductor carrying impulse 1 ct, through an or gate 151, conductor LA1 through or gate 152 to counter CTR2 to step it one step. The or gate 151 also has connected thereto conductor carrying impulses 5 ct, 9 ct and 13 ct so that the first impulse corresponding to the first digit in each of the other card piles, namely at impulses 5 ct, 9 ct and 13 ct also will produce impulses to the and gate 501 so that if any of the other sheets in any of the other storing devices 24, 25 and 26 and corresponding registers 102, 103 and 104 have a 1 numeral an additional impulse will pass through the and gate 501. In this way all the numerals are checked in the numerators and only correct numerals1 give 1 signals on the corresponding master contacts of the numerator.

The other impulses to the and gate 152 come from the numerators S2, S3 and S4 through conductors LA2, LA3 and LA4, respectively, in a similar manner and correspond to the other digits 4, 7 and 0 of the number 1470, so as to complete the four steppings of the counter CTR2. If the whole card number 1470 checks, counter CTR2 reaches its fourth position and an impulse is then passed through conductors 153 and 154 and and gate 511 with an additional conductor carrying impulse 4 ct, conductor 155, or gate 521 to conductor 156 which operates control circuit 126 to operate solenoid valve 113 to pass the stored card from the storing device 23 on to the pile in trough 32. Simultaneously with the passing of this impulse to control circuit 126, a reset pulse is passed through one reset conductor #1 RESET back to FIG. 3 for resetting the memory circuits 101. As soon as this occurs the next card or sheet is taken from the holder 11 and placed on the storage device 23 after its number has been read into the register 101.

Thus, the same procedure is followed through to the counting impulses 8 ct, 12 ct, 16 ct for each of the other cards in storing devices 24, 25 and 26, respectively.

The five position counter CTR3 shown at the bottom of FIG. 6 also should be considered in that it is stepped each time an impulse 1 ct, 5 ct, 9 ct and 13 ct is passed through the and gate 151, so that the number 1 is added for each of the cards on a storing devices 23 through 26. This counter CTR3, however, only will be cleared to its position 5 when an impulse in the fourth position of counter CTR2 is passed through conductor 141, or gate 160 and conductor 161, which occurs every time a correct card is found. Thus if the same number 1470 appears on each one of the bottom cards of the four separate piles in holders 11, 12, 13 and 14, and correspondingly on the storing devices 23, 24, 25 and 26, no stepping of the finder switches in the numerators S1, S2, S3 and S4 will be made until no more cards with the same numbers are sequentially found.

When the last correct sheet having this number 1470 has been transported to the final trough 32, and no further correct sheets with number 1470 can be found on any of the storage devices 23, 24, 25 and 26 inclusive,

9 then and only then will the counter CTR3 reach its position 5. This results in the resetting of the reset counter CTRi via conductor 142 which goes to its 0 position and remains there until counter CTR3 has been cleared. At this time the numerator step relay 520 is actuated to step the numerator S4 into its next position corresponding to the next sequential number 1471. At the same time the counter CT R3 is cleared and reset to its 0 position through the time delay device 51%, and if a card with this number 1471 occurs in any one of the storing devices, central memory circuits, it will be checked as described for the card with the number 1470.

The delay device 516 is to give time to actuate the step relay 52s in the numerators, and to reset the counter CTRl to its zero position after it has counted sixteen successive impulses.

The counter CTRZ is reset by a time delay device 5th) between the impulses 4 ct and 5 ct, as well as between the impulses 5 ct and 9 ct, 12 ct and 13 ct, and 16 ct and 1 ct from the or gate 162 adjacent the numerator S4 and connected directly to device by conductor res. This reset also occurs even in the case counter CTRZ did not reach its position 4, which happens when a card or sheet does not check, but then neither the central memory lltlli will be cleared nor will the valve control circuit 126 be operated.

The process of operating the counter TR3 will continue through the steps if there is no card with the number 1471 found in any of the memories. Then the numerator S-t steps to the next number 1472. Accordingly, any amount of numbers may be absent and the device will step automatically to the next successive number under the operation of these counter circuits.

(B-4) Detection of a wrongly ordered sheet.lf the sequence of the cards in any one of the holders 11 through 1 is out of order, another situation presents itself. In this case somewhere at least one sheet will be followed by a sheet of a number which has already been passed by the stepping numerator switches. This sheet shall not be allowed to stay indefinitely in one of me storage devices 23 through as, but must be transported to one of the extra output troughs 33 or 34- as mentioned above. In this case the second or right-hand stepping switches and wipers of the numerators S1, S2, S3 and S4 are used. Their arcuate sweep wiper contacts show if any number is equal to or lower than the number being checked or tested. Therefore by the use of inverters or NOT-circuits 5311 through 534 and 541 through 544, signals are produced in conductors Al through Ad and B'i through '4, respectively, from the right and left-hand stepping wipers of each of the numerators S1 through S4.

If for example a sheet numbered 1390 arrives on the numerator settings for number 1470 as shown in FIG. 6, the second digit 3 will produce impulses in conductors AZ and B'Z connected to the and gate 5 at the time of impulse 6 ct, in which the impulse in conductor A1 means not equal and 8'2 means equal or smaller than the digit position of the wiper switches in numerator S2. The flip flop or trigger l is now supposed to be in its zero or off position, it also produces an impulse through conductor to the and gate 552 so that an impulse passes through conductor K2 to the or gate 5nd to produce an im .use in conductor Kit to tri ger the flip flop FFIZ which produces an output impulse in conductor Trolthrough or gate to reset the counter position and turns to its o prevent the stepping up of the wipers of the numerator stepping switches, which might h: n if no checking card or sheet would be found :1 another channel. Furthe ore two of the valves controlled. by the circuits through inclusive will be actuated on the 4 ct, 8 ct, 112 ct or 16 ct .pulse, in this CElLo the 8 ct impulse, through the correspon g and an or gates connected to the outout of the trigger via conductor m) 181. In this case and gate 572 is operated to operate valve control devices 127 and 136 through or gates 522 and 526, respectively, to discharge the out-of-order card or sheet into trough 33.

This shall not happen, however, if a lower numeral is preceded by a higher one, for instance if the card or sheet was numbered 1560 where 6 is lower than the corresponding 7 in the nu ierator S3 but is higher than the 4 in numerator S2. In this case the BZ conductor and and gate 562 produces an impulse at time 6 ct which results in the setting of the flip flop trigger FF]; into its on" or opposite position, through the conductor G2, or gate 5%, and conductor GN. In this case, the trigger FFZ is supposed to be in its off position, and the setting of the trigger is made impossible until the trigger FFI is placed back into its off position or cleared again. Thus the sheet numbered 1560 will neither check nor be considered false, and it will stay correctly on its storing device until its number checks eventually with the numerator settings 1560.

The trigger circuits FFl and PR2 are cleared together with the clearing of the counter CTRZ by the delay device Stlti at the end of each number compared in the numerators S1, S2, S3 and S4. The purpose of the delay device 5% is to give time for the cards or sheets to be discharged from their storage position in the rollers 23, 2d, 25 or 26 into the final trough 32. This delay however can be eliminated if enough extra cipher time beyond time 16 ct is used in the counter CTR1.

If desired, the right-hand arcuate wipers of the stepping switches in numerator-s S1, S2, S3 and S4 can be modified so that instead of connecting all lower contacts they can connect all higher ones, if the order in which the cards are placed in the holders 11 through 14 and final trough are reversed. Thus impulses in the A conductors will mean not equal to, and in the B conductors will mean equal or larger than.

(C) Specific Example of Operation in order to explain better the operation of the device disclosed in FIG. 1, a specific example for collating four piles of two digit numbered cards in holders ii, 12, 13 and is into one pile 32 of sequentially numbered cards will now be described. These cards are numbered in the thirties and arranged in the four holders as shown in columns 11, 12, 13 and 14 in the table below, the cards being selected one at a time from the bottoms of columns or piles.

Piles l 12 I is 14 s q Numbe s on the cards to be collated l i ,I;;

in order. l

you see the order of the numbers on the cards in each columns are in numerical order with the smallest number on the bottom of each coat: exce t in column 11 in which the card 333a is out of order and wiil be ardcd as will be descrioed later. Several cards also have the same number, but herein they are distins ed only for reference purposes by a or 1'1" suffirics. th the piles 1., i3 and 1 5- in position, the device and the bottom card from each one of the taken off by its respective taking-off ice 151, and 18 and the numbers 331, 332, 331 and on said cards are read by the res Hi9, and 112, respectively. These four read cards are :cd on the rotating storin devices or rollers 23, and 25, respectively, until they are selected for :cr to the final aile in trough 32. This read information is then passed to corresponding central memory devices N1, 162, 163 and as shown in PEG. 3, from which it is then succ-ssively connected through the contacts of distributor switch trifle of the distributor 12 2 to a detector circuit 123 and numerator 124. This distributor 122 is controlled by a timer 125 which is in synchronism with the rotations of the rotating drum 15, 16, 17, 18, 23, 24, 25, 2'6, 27, 28, 29, 30 and 31 of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1. These drums are all geared to rotate continuously at the same peripheral speeds and the cards are only passed from one to the other when the valve mechanisms previously described and shown in detail in FIG. 2 are correspondingly operated under the control of the circuits of FIG. 3. The reason for the synchronization of the central memory devices with that of the rotation of the drums is so that the vacuum applied to the radial channels in the drum will be operated at the right moment for picking off the cards C when they pass their points for pickup, or transfer or removal from a drum. The distributor 122 may be either mechanical or electrical but each of the central memory devices as previously described are connected in sequence to the detector 123 and numerator 124 via as many channels as are necessary to transmit the required number of characteristic figures or information to be stored and detected for determining their sequence. The numerator 124, for example, shown in FIG. 3 is disclosed to have four arcs a, b, c and d so that four digits in any one memory device 101 through 104 may be compared with four digits in the numerator 124. It is to be understood, however, that the comparison need not be restricted to the numbers of the four digits, and this is merely shown for the purpose of illustration.

This read and stored information remains in the central memory devices 101 through 104 until the particular card associated therewith has been transferred to the first stage combining devices, at which time the next card is taken off of that particular pile, read, and stored in the same central memory device and storing device or roller.

As soon as the detector 123 and numerator 124 determines that the lowest numbered card is card 331 in the pile 11, scanning from left to right, this determination is then passed on through selector switch 122b of distributor 122 to the control device 126 (FIG. 3) controlled by the timer 125, to operate the valve 105 to apply vacuum to the center shaft of roller or drum to pick up the next card 3311) from pile 11, and operate the valve 113 to release vacuum from the storage drum or roller 23 for pick-up by the first combining device roller 27 to which vacuum is simultaneously applied through its center shaft by valve 117 under control device 130 also controlled by control device 126 and timer 125. This card 331 now transferred to the combining device roller 27 is then immediately transferred on around combining device rollers 28 and 29 by the operation of valves 118 and 119 controlled by the controlling devices 130 and 132, respectively, to deposit the card in trough 32.

A subsequent scanning step of the distributor 122 also determines that an identically numbered card 33111 has been taken from pile 13 and is stored in storing device 25. This determination is then passed by switch 122k to the control device 128 controlled by timer 125 to operate the valve 107 to pick up the next card 333 from pile 13, and ope ate valve 115 and valve 121 through control device 131, to transfer card 3311: from the storage drum to the combining device roller 31 and thence by operation at the proper time of valves 120 and 119 through control devices 131 and 132 to pass the card 331a on through rollers and 29 for deposit in trough 32.

Now according to the example in the table above, the second card 3311) in pile 11 is still a same and lowest numbered card, and lower than the cards 332 and 332a still remaining in storing devices 24 and 26. Accordingly, card 331b is next transferred to the holder 32 as card 331 has been, and the next or third card 336 in pile 11 is stored in the storing device 23.

Now that all of the cards numbered 331 have been collated and stacked into the pile 32, the next sequential number under the control of the circuit of FIG. 3 is 332 and cards 332 and 332a are taken from their storing devices 24 and 26 under control of the timer 125 controlled devices 127 and 129 and their controlled valves 114 and 116, respectively, and passed through the combining devices 27, 31, and then under the timer 125 controlled devices 130, 131 and 132 and their controlled valves 118, 120, and 119, respectively, are passed through combining device 29 to final holder 32, a previously described for the cards 331. As soon as the cards 332 and 332a are removed from their temporary storing devices 24 and 26, the next cards from piles 12 and 14, namely cards 332b and 334 are removed from said piles, read by the readers and 112, and placed onto the same storing devices 24 and 26. Since the second card in the pile 12 is also a 332 card, this card 3321) is the next card transferred through the combining devices 27, 28 and 29 and deposited on the stack holder 32. This immediately causes the operation again of the taking-01f device 16 to remove the third card 338 from pile 12 and place it on the storing device roller 24. It however is retained in that its number 338" is much higher than any of the other numbers remaining on the storing devices 23, 24, 25 or 26 at this time.

The next numbered card to be selected is 333 which is the second card taken from pile 13 and now on storing device 25, which under the control of the valve through controlling device 128 is passed by the combining device 31 and through combining devices 30 and 29 to the final trough 32. This because there is no other card numbered 333 or lower in any of the other storing devices 23, 24, 25 and 26. The next card 339 in pile 13 is simultaneously picked up and stored in storing device 25.

The next lowest sequential card is numbered 334" and is the second card in pile 14 which is now stored in the storing device 28 where it now i passed by the combining device 31 through combining device 30 and thence immediately on to the stack in holder 32 by the combining device 29.

As soon as the card 334 has left its storing device 26 the pick-up device 18 picks up the next card or 333a from the pile 14 and it is placed on the storing drum 26. This number 333a however is now less than 334, in that a card numbered 334 has already been deposited on the stack in holder 32. Accordingly under the control of the controlling devices 129 and 131, from distributor switch 122c and valve 121, this wrongly ordered card 333a in pile 14 is passed on to the combining device 31, but it is not passed on to the combining device 30. It is instead immediately transferred into the discharge trough 34 as card C. In the event a wrongly ordered card occurs in pile 11 or 12, a similar discharge trough 33 is provided cooperating with combining device 27. Thus any card which is out of order in any of the piles 11, 12, 13 or 14 is automatically discharged into the discharge receptacles 33 and/or 34 through the control of the separate distributor switches 1220 operating on the control devices 130 and 131 as shown in FIG. 3.

Pile 14 has now been emptied according to the above table, but if another card remained therein, it would immediately be taken off and placed on the storing device 26 for further collating.

The next number in sequence is 335, but since there is no card 335, the device searches on for the next sequential number, which is card 336 now stored on the storing device 23. This card 336 is then transferred by the combining devices 27, 28, and 29 on to the final stack in holder 32.

The next sequential number of course is 337," and since there is no card numbered 337 shown in the above table, the following number would be 338, the

card for which has already been stored on storing device 24. It is now passed by the combining device 27 through combining device 28 and deposited through the combining device 29 onto stack in holder 32. This empties pile 12.

Card 339 is the next and last card to be collated and it is now stored in storing device 25 from whence it is now transferred through combining device 31, combining device 30, and combining device 29 on to the stack in holder 32. Now the stack in holder 32 contains the following cards in the following order:

336 33lb 334 331a 333 331 The card 333a, since it was out of sequence in its pile 14 as shown in the above table, has been discharged into the trough 34 and occurs in a separate stack and will have to be manually or otherwise collated by passing it and the stack in holder 32 through the device again.

In view of the above description of the operation of the mechanical device in FIG. 1, other numbers of and for cards and pluralities of piles thereof can be collated by the device of this invention. Since all the rotating drums are continuously rotating in synchronism at the same peripheral or surface speeds, very little time is lost in the transfer of the cards from their piles to the final deposition or holder 32, and, as previously described, the distance of travel of each of the cards is the same. Thus the previous two disadvantages pointed out in the introduction of this specification are overcome by the device of this invention, and a larger plurality, namely that more than two piles, can be collated at one time, and the time distribution of the cards is regular, because each must travel over the same length path from their original piles to the final receptacle.

While there is described above the principles of this invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation of the scope of this invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A device for combining sheets having numerical data thereon from several n piles of sequentially ordered sheets into a single pile of sequentially ordered sheets, wherein n is a whole number greater than two, comprising:

(A) separate means for holding each pile of sheets to be combined,

(B) separate rotating drum means associated with each holding means for taking off one sheet at a time from said piles,

(C) separate means associated with each taking-oil means for reading the numerical data on the taken off sheet,

(D) separate rotating drum storing devices associated with each taking-off drum means for storing said read sheets,

(E) n first rotating drum combining devices, wherein n is the smallest whole number equal to or greater than 11/2, associated with two of said storing devices for removing said sheets from said storing devices,

(F) 11" second rotating drum combining devices, wherein n" is the smallest whole number equal to or greater than n'/ 2, associated with two of said first combining devices, and so on until a single final combining device is obtained,

(G) a final holding means associated with said final combining device for receiving said single pile of sheets,

(H) control means connected to each of said takingoff means, each of said reading means, each of said i4; storing devices, and each of said combining devices for controlling their operation in accordance with the sequence of the numerical data read from each sheet, (I) said control means including a number evaluating device,

(I) an associated receiving means with each of said first combining devices for receiving sheets that may not be in said sequential order, and

(K) means controlled by said number evaluating device for discharging sheets in said associated receiving means which are not in said sequential order,

whereby said sheets are retained on said drum storing devices until they can be transferred to said final holding means in a sequential order of the numerical data read from said sheets, and wherein the minimum surface distance over said drums from any pile to said final holding means is substantially the same.

2. A device according to claim 1 wherein said rotating drum storing devices and said rotating drum transferring devices are half the diameter of said rotating drum takeoff means and said rotating drum combining devices.

3. A device for combining sheets having numerical data thereon from several n piles of sequentially ordered sheets into a single pile of sequentially ordered sheets, wherein n is a whole number greater than two, and wherein some of said sheets may not be in said sequential order, comprising:

(A) separate means for holding each pile of sheets to be combined,

(B) separate rotating drum means associated with each holding means for taking off one sheet at a time from said piles, each said drum means comprising a cylindrical roller with a radial suction channel therein for holding said sheets to the periphery of said roller,

(C) separate means associated with each taking-oil means for reading the numerical data on the taken off sheets,

(D) separate rotating drum storing devices associated with each taking-off drum means for storing said read sheets, each of said rotating drum storing devices comprising a cylindrical roller with a radial suction channel therein for holding said sheets to the periphery of said roller,

(E) n first rotating drum combining devices, wherein n is the smallest whole number equal to or greater than n/2, associated with two of said rotating drum storing devices for removing said sheets from said rotating drum storing devices, each of said rotating drum combining devices comprising a cylindrical roller with a radial suction channel therein for holding said sheets to the periphery of said roller,

(F) n second rotating drum combining devices, wherein n is the smallest whole number equal to or greater than n'/2, associated with two of said first combining devices, and so on until a single final combining device is obtained, each of said second rotating drum combining devices comprising a cylindrical roller with a radial suction channel therein for holding said sheets to the periphery of said roller,

(G) receiving means associated with at least one of said combining devices,

(H) separate rotating drum transferring devices between each first rotating drum combining device and its associated second rotating drum combining device, and between each second rotating drum combining device and its next rotating drum combining device, and so on until a single final combining device is reached, whereby all of said combining devices rotate in the same direction, said separate rotating drum transferring devices each comprising a cylindrical roller with a radial suction channel therein for holding said sheets to the periphery of said roller,

(I) a final holding means associated with the final combining device for receiving said single pile of sheets, and

(J) control means including valves for controlling the suction in said channels in each of said rollers, said control means being connected to each of said takeoff means, each of said reading means, each of said rotating drum storing devices, and each of said combining devices, and each of said transferring devices, for controlling their operation in accordance with the sequence of the numerical data read from each sheet, said control means comprising:

(a) central memory circuits connected to each of said reading means,

(b) timer and counter circuits synchronized with the operation of said taking-off means, said rotating drum storing devices, said combining devices, and said transferring devices,

(c) a detector and number evaluating device for comparing the stored numerical data to insure the logical sequence thereof,

(d) means controlled by said number evaluating device for discharging sheets in said associated receiving means which are not in said sequential order,

(e) valve control circuits for controlling said 16 valve for operating said taking-01f means, said rotating drum storing devices, said combining devices, and said transferring devices, and (f) distributor means connected from said detec- 5 tor and said numerical number evaluating device for controlling said valve control circuits, whereby said sheets are retained on said rotating drum storing devices until they can be transferred to said final holding means in a sequential order of the numerical data read from said sheets, and if a stored sheet is not in sequential order to discharge it in said associated receiving means; and wherein the minimum surface distance over said drum from any pile to said final holding means is substantially the same.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,985,299 5/1961 Wiener 20972 2,988,215 6/1961 Nelson 20972 3,013,658 12/1961 Wiener 20972 3,030,609 4/1962 Albrecht 235-61] X 3,039,603 6/1962 Wiener 20972 ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner.

SAMUEL F. COLEMAN, Examiner. 

1. A DEVICE FOR COMBINING SHEETS HAVING NUMERICAL DATA THEREON FROM SEVERAL N PILES OF SEQUENTIALLY ORDERED SHEETS INTO A SINGLE PILE OF SEQUENTIALLY ORDERED SHEETS, WHEREIN N IS A WHOLE NUMBER GREATER THAN TWO, COMPRISING: (A) SEPARATE MEANS FOR HOLDING EACH PILE OF SHEETS TO BE COMBINED, (B) SEPARATE ROTATING DRUM MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH HOLDING MEANS FOR TAKING OFF ONE SHEET AT A TIME FROM SAID PILES, (C) SEPARATE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH EACH TAKING-OFF MEANS FOR READING THE NUMERICAL DATA ON THE TAKEN OFF SHEET, (D) SEPARATE ROTATING DRUM STORING DEVICES ASSOCIATED WITH EACH TAKING-OFF DRUM MEANS FOR STORING SAID READ SHEETS, (E) N'' FIRST ROTATING DRUM COMBINING DEVICES, WHEREIN N'' IS THE SMALLEST WHOLE NUMBER EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN N/2, ASSOCIATED WITH TWO OF SAID STORING DEVICES FOR REMOVING SAID SHEETS FROM SAID STORING DEVICES, (F) N" SECOND ROTATING DRUM COMBINING DEVICES, WHEREIN N" IS THE SMALLEST WHOLE NUMBER EQUAL TO OR GREATER THAN N''/2, ASSOCIATED WITH TWO OF SAID FIRST COMBINING DEVICES, AND SO ON UNTIL A SINGLE FINAL COMBINING DEVICE IS OBTAINED, 